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GOLF; After Wait of Six Months, Sun Shines for Mickelson

It took Phil Mickelson more than six months to win the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. But for a $450,000 first-place check, plus a $100,000 bonus for being the PGA Tour's top money-winner on the West Coast this year, it was worth the wait.

Winning under the most unusual circumstances of his career, Mickelson captured the rain-plagued Pebble Beach event today, which was completed more than six months after it started.

The tournament, shortened to 54 holes, was originally scheduled to end Feb. 1, before Mark O'Meara had won a major and long before Monica Lewinsky had appeared before a grand jury. But when heavy rains washed out play on both Feb. 1 and Feb. 2, tournament officials and the PGA Tour took an unusual step. Instead of the tournament being canceled, as it was in 1996, play was suspended after 36 holes, and the third round was rescheduled for March 2, the day after the Nissan Open outside Los Angeles.

But that plan did not work either. It became obvious that the courses at Pebble Beach, drenched by El Nino, still would not be ready by March 2. So the tournament was suspended again until today, the day after the P.G.A. Championship in Redmond, Wash., allowing players to fly from Seattle to California on Sunday night in time to play.

All of that led to today's bizarre scene -- players spread out over three courses, no grandstands, no television towers, a gallery not even one-fifth as large as usual. Yet, for Mickelson, it was a great day to play 18. He shot a five-under-par 67 at Pebble Beach to finish at 14 under par for the tournament, one stroke better than Tom Pernice Jr., who shot a 67 at Poppy Hills. Jim Furyk, who shot a 68 at Pebble Beach, and J. P. Hayes, who shot a 67 at Poppy Hills, finished tied for third at 12 under.

Was the return trip to Pebble Beach worth it for Mickelson? Let him count the ways. Not only did he receive the $450,000 first-place check, but he also captured the $100,000 ''King of the Swing'' bonus put up by Bank of America. Mickelson, who also won the Mercedes Championships in Carlsbad, Calif., in January, won $771,450 on the West Coast this year.

All of which helped make up for his disappointing finish at the P.G.A. Championship. Mickelson shot a 79 on Saturday and finished tied for 34th in the season's final major, won by Vijay Singh.

''Let me see if I got this right,'' said Mickelson, who captured his 13th career victory at age 28. ''Vijay wins the P.G.A. yesterday and wins $540,000, and I just won $550,000? It's a cool day.''

Indeed it was, but at least it wasn't raining. Playing under the same lift, clean and place rules that were in place when the tournament began in January, the competitors were able to give themselves good lies even from the rough, and they aggressively went for birdies.

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Of the 166 players eligible to return today, 133 came back. Among those who did not were Tiger Woods, O'Meara and Singh. But for most players, the chance to win a share of the purse was too enticing to turn down.

Mickelson clinched the victory by making a birdie on the par-5 18th hole, hitting a booming drive and then hitting one of the best 2-iron shots of his career, which carried 221 yards to the front of the green. Mickelson two-putted from there.

''Finishing up a tournament six or seven months later, you have to find your own momentum,'' Mickelson said. ''This should give me something to build on going into the later part of the season.

''I thought they were going to do one of two things: either call it like they did in 1996, or break the field into three divisions and split the purse,'' Mickelson said. ''But when they decided to come back, I was ecstatic.''

But the decision to suspend a tournament from winter until fall caused enough controversy to force the tour to re-examine its weather policy. According to Pernice, the tour's policy board is leaning toward a plan that would extend tournaments until Monday if they cannot be finished on Sunday. If play cannot be completed Monday, the tournament would continue until Tuesday. If play cannot be finished Tuesday, the tournament would be canceled.

Some players may choose not to return to Pebble Beach after this year's problems, but the tournament remains popular among most competitors, who enjoy coming to the area and playing on some of the most picturesque courses anywhere. There has been talk about moving the event to the fall, when weather around the Monterey Peninsula might be more favorable. But that would require significant compromises among local hotels, sponsors and others in the community, which begins planning for the next year's event shortly after the current one ends.

Asked whether anything other than better luck could prevent today's scene from recurring, Mickelson said:''That's really difficult, but I anticipate them holding the tournament at the same time every year, just because it has been that way for so many years. I'll still come. I like this event.''

And after today's results, Mickelson liked Pebble Beach even more. Born in June, Mickelson was 27 years old when the tournament started. But he was 28 and richer when it ended.

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A version of this article appears in print on August 18, 1998, on Page C00001 of the National edition with the headline: GOLF; After Wait of Six Months, Sun Shines for Mickelson. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe